About Us

Meet the CEO

Tilman J. Fertitta, Chairman, President and CEO of Landry's Inc.

There are many published articles about him, and these are just some of the best at describing his success as an entrepreneur, business leader, community leader and charitable leader and his company's success at promoting happiness and enjoyment of life.

Tilman Fertitta, president and CEO of Landry’s Inc., appeared on "Bloomberg ‹GO›" on Oct. 16 to discuss his thoughts on the banking industry as a major borrower. — Houston Business Journal, October 19, 2015

Following an unannounced quiet opening the night before, the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino Lake Charles in Louisiana officially opened on December 8, with yellow-outfitted showgirls flanking Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, chairman and chief executive officer of Fertitta Entertainment Inc., and other Louisiana state and local officials who cut the ribbon on the $700 million, 1.3 million square foot property, the fifth under the Golden Nugget brand. — GGB News, September 28, 2015

Over 700 members of the Yates Construction crew working on the new Golden Nugget Casino watched as the wind pushed around a spruce tree hanging 100 or so feet above them. The tree was part of the casino's topping-out ceremony Friday, an event signifying the final pour of the hotel tower. — American Press, December 7, 2013

Charlene Knowles has been coming to Biloxi at least twice a year for more than 15 years. The Long Beach Gardens, Fla., woman clapped with delight, as Golden Nugget executives cut a golden ribbon to mark the opening of the first phase of the $100 million property renovation.— Mississippi Gaming News, July 2013

Intense loyalty seen after tragic Giffords shooting. For six months, he has been a giant in the background for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, quietly leveraging his power to help the couple rebound from devastation. — Houston Chronicle, July 27, 2011

Houston business titan Tilman Fertitta has long had his eye on national seafood chain McCormick & Schmick. But his effort to acquire the upscale eatery hasn't won a deal. Yet. — Houston Chronicle, June 3, 2011

Tilman Fertitta is all in. After more than two years of negotiations to take Houston-based Landry's Restaurants private and become the sole owner of the near-300-unit casual dining, hospitality, gaming and entertainment company, the deal finally got done in early October, 24 years after he was named company president and CEO. Fertitta says his passion is making deals and this was undoubtedly his biggest. — Seafood Business, January 2011

Perched on the top floor of Landry's Restaurants Inc Galleria-area headquarters, Tilman Fertitta's cavernous office is packed with conference tables, mock-ups of furniture projects and an array of computer screens tuned to footage of the properties owned by the high-profile excutive. — Houston Business Journal, December 3-9, 2010

Tilman Fertitta, founder and chairman of Landry's Inc. of Houston, in October closed on a $1.4 billion deal that took the restaurant-hospitality company private. — National Restaurant News, October 25, 2010

When Tilman Fertitta took Landry's Restaurants public in 1993, the company had nine restaurants. Today it's an empire, with more than 200 restaurants, amusement venus, hotels and casinos. — Houston Chronicle, October 6, 2010

After extracting agreements from the city for a giant Ferris wheel and oversized signs, Landry's Inc. President and CEO Tilman Fertitta planned to bring a tiger and lion exhibit to downtown Houston. — Houston Business Journal, December 2004

Big concepts, big promotions, big sales, big growth-all navigated by a big-living showman of a CEO. Just trying to keep up with the company's aggressive acquisitions and development plans makes one's head spin, from flashy "eatertainment" projects like the Downtown Aquarium in Houston — replete with a 90-foot Ferris wheel and kiddie train that chugs through a tunnel filled with sharks — to a hotel division with 1,000 rooms under ownership or development. — Restaurant Hospitality, September 2004

New Opry Mills eatery employs 2,000 tank dwellers for entertainment — not eating. Enjoy the red snapper on your plate? Good. So did the shark next to you. After all, what's a tank full of fish for if a sharp-toothed mate can't pick one off every now and then? Welcome to Aquarium restaurant, where fish are friends and food. — The Tennessean Living Section, April 14, 2004

The City Council unanimously handed control of San Antonio's landmark Tower of the Americas to Houston's Landry's Inc. on Thursday, shutting out calls to keep the contract in local hands. The decision ends Tower Foods' 35-year run in the tower's revolving restaurant and gives it to Landry's until 2019. — The San Antonio Express, March 5, 2004

The year 2003 will be remembered in Houston as the year restaurant mogul Tilman Fertitta vacuumed up three of the city's most fashionable outposts — Pesce, La Griglia and Grotto — into his burgeoning empire. — Texas Monthly, February 2004